Black Death
by MechaUltimaZero
Summary: Inspired by Dirty Reid's "A Swordsman's Road". Naruto Uzumaki makes a series of decisions that lead him to wield the Sword of Death, which is also named Soul Edge, Stormbringer, and Kokushibyo. EVENTUAL Mighty!Naruto, unknown pairing. Minor crossovers.


Black Death

**Inspired by chapter 4 (I think it was 4) of Dirty Reid's "A Swordsman's Road" and I just couldn't get the idea out of my head. Even though that story inspired this one, the two aren't necessarily related, i.e., set in the same universe. Pairing: Not certain, but looking at Isaribi. Rating: T to begin with, but I may raise it later, depending on the violence levels. Also, slight Elric crossover to begin with, but only for a little setup. Also, if I introduce an OC and they aren't referenced in later chapters, don't be surprised.**

Chapter One: Ruin

Naruto Uzumaki, age nine, was currently preparing to explore the woods a few miles outside of the village. There were rumors about an ancient ruin in the area, and some even said that it held some sort of treasure. Most people were too old and mature to believe in such things anymore, while those that weren't (i.e., young children) were certainly not permitted to investigate.

Naruto, however, despite being in foster care now, was still technically an orphan at present, which meant he could just about do as he wanted to, with no one legally able to stop him. He wasn't stupid, though, and knew that he'd need equipment. And if he needed equipment, he'd have to get it, which meant finding an appropriate store with a reasonable price.

Wondering through the Market District, he found a rather… unique establishment. It was a one-story building, and it looked a bit run-down. The windows had a thin, but visible layer of dust, and the entire building was dark red. The door and windowsills, however, were shades of gray, and there was a sign over the door that read as follows:

"_Emporium Raiden: Mercenaries, Rogues, and Wanderers."_

Then, underneath that was another, smaller sign that read, _"First-time Customers get 40% off!" _

As Naruto entered the shop, he noticed that the shop was relatively small, but incredibly well-organized – which one would certainly not have expected given the apparent neglect of the exterior. He didn't see anyone else, but the door had been unlocked and _"Open for Business,"_ so Naruto looked around, trying to decide what he could possibly need. Granted, he wasn't a mercenary or a "rogue", whatever that meant, but considering what he was planning, he might be loosely categorized as a "wanderer."

The wall to Naruto's left consisted of two shelves: the top shelf was completely covered with various weapons, such as lances, axes, nunchaku, staves, and every type of sword that the boy had ever heard of, along with many he hadn't. The bottom shelf, in contrast, was littered with numerous types of armor, all of which appeared to be relatively small and/or light. Gauntlets, greaves, pauldrons, and chain mail seemed to be the most common of items, while there were also other pieces that Naruto wasn't as familiar with.

The wall to his right had at least four shelves filled with different types of clothing, all of which, if he had to take a guess, were designed more with comfort in mind than anything else. Much of it was of a dark color, but there were also shelves with significantly brighter colors, probably for traversing deserts and other areas with an excess of heat and sunlight.

And on the far wall, there were countless bottles and small boxes, each with a different label. Some had names that Naruto knew, like 'aspirin' and 'antifreeze'. It appeared that that wall was reserved for medicine, poisons, and chemicals that could be used as one or the other.

In addition, there were six aisles in the center of the floor, which contained everything else. These appeared to be organized by use and by the clients who would most likely purchase them. One aisle had ropes, chains, pocketknives, sleeping bags, and other equipment for the common hiker and camper. The next had bows of every type and over a dozen different types of arrows, along with quivers to go with them.

The next two aisles were geared more for shinobi, given the countless kunai, shuriken, and senbon. There was also a large array of makibishi spikes, in addition to smoke bombs, paper bombs, high-tensile strength wire, and chakra-based devices that Naruto couldn't begin to fathom the purpose of.

Suddenly, someone called out, "Hey kid, you lookin' for somethin'?"

Naruto, having been used to the silence, nearly jumped out of his skin. He looked towards the medicine wall, and the shopkeeper was sitting in what looked like an _extremely_ comfortable chair, his feet propped up on the counter, hands behind his head. His dark green eyes stared at Naruto, instantly making him anxious.

Going up to the counter, Naruto asked, "If I were to go exploring the woods outside the village, then what do you think I should take with me?"

The shopkeeper, a fellow in his early to mid-twenties with a somewhat muscular build and slightly spiky brown hair, leaned back in his chair and thought for a few moments. After contemplating the inventory of a well-prepared explorer or scout, he said, "You'll definitely want to get some hiking boots rather than sandals, since you'll be using your feet a lot. Take care of your body, and it'll take care of you, after all. You also need a decent pack of some sort. Shinobi would simply pack their items inside a scroll, but I don't quite think that would work for you just yet. So instead, I suggest finding a suitable pack."

Then, getting out of his chair to look over his stock, he continued, "Now for your inventory. It can never hurt to have a decent rope of at least a few dozen feet, and a knife generally comes in handy as well. You might need a sleeping bag and bedroll, possibly even a tent if your excursion is to last multiple days, but if you plan to come back before nightfall, then that would be dead weight. Always remember the second rule of life, kid: don't bring along dead weight – the first rule, of course, is to always "Be Prepared". Where was I? Oh yeah, a first aid kit is practically mandatory. Other than that, I don't really know what to suggest, since I don't know what you plan to do."

Since Naruto seemed a little confused about where to begin explaining, the shopkeeper decided to simply ask questions.

"Okay kid, let me try and help you figure out what you need. How long will you be out?"

Scratching his head for a few seconds, Naruto replied, "I was going to just come back today, and then go out again tomorrow if I needed to."

Scratching his chin, the shopkeeper – Raiden, if the sign outside was any indication – said, "In that case, I wouldn't bother getting any type of camping gear, aside from the aforementioned rope and first aid kit. Now then, you mentioned exploring, I believe? Let me guess: you're going to try and find those so-called 'ancient ruins,' aren't you?"

Naruto began stammering and was about to ask how the elder man had known, when Raiden laughed and replied, "Those rumors have been circulating for decades, kid. To tell you the truth, I tried to do the exact same thing when I was your age. I never found the place, but that doesn't mean it isn't there. And if that is, in fact, what you're trying to do, then I know exactly what you need."

The shopkeeper suddenly seemed to disappear, before he reappeared behind the counter. There was a backpack a bit larger than Naruto's torso, and it was already full of everything else that Raiden had grabbed. Then, ringing everything up, he said, "All right kid, the regular price is about $400, but with your first-timer discount, that's down to $240."

Naruto's jaw dropped and he exclaimed, "I'm sorry sir, but I don't have anywhere near that kind of money! Heck, I don't have any money at all right now!"

Raiden, completely unsurprised, merely sat in thought before saying, "You know, kid, I normally don't let people buy things on credit until I've established that I can trust them, but I'm willing to make an exception in your case. I'm going to let you walk out of this store right now, with the gear, without paying me, but on three conditions."

Naruto almost accepted right then, but he caught himself and asked, "What are the conditions?"

Raiden laughed a bit at that and said, "Sharp kid, eh? All right then, here are my two conditions: even though you're not paying today, you still owe me money if you do this. Therefore, I want you to look me in the eye and promise that you'll pay me when you've got the money. That's my first condition. My second condition is that, in the future, you purchase everything you need, at least as far as equipment and weaponry goes, exclusively from this shop, and nowhere else."

Naruto decided that these were reasonable, and was about to agree, when a thought suddenly struck him. Hadn't the man said he had _three_ conditions, but then only given _two_? Realizing this, the young Jinchuriki raised an eyebrow as he demanded, "Stop playing games with me already! Just tell me what your third condition is and be done with it!"

Raiden laughed so hard that he actually fell out of his chair, before he eventually collected himself and replied, "Sorry for laughing at ya, kid, but that was freakin' _hilarious_. You see, the third condition was just a joke – a fake-out of sorts, to see if you actually noticed it. I think that, one of these days, you'll be a pretty fearsome ninja."

Naruto was, in fact, registered at the Academy, but he wasn't going to tell some random shopkeeper he'd never even met before about that.

Naruto agreed to the actual two conditions, grabbed the pack, and left as Raiden called out, "It's been a pleasure doing business with you, Naruto-san!"

It wasn't until Naruto was halfway back to his apartment that he realized he'd never told Raiden his name.

After three hours of wandering around, and having traversed at least a good ten miles or so, Naruto found a stone gateway that, over the period of countless years, had partially crumbled and eroded away.

Naruto grinned – apparently, he'd found those ruins that everyone spoke of but nobody believed in. And now that he'd found the place, he simply needed to explore it.

"Now then, let's see what that psycho-clerk gave me, anyway…"

Rummaging through his newly-acquired pack, Naruto found forty feet of a strong, thick rope, fifteen feet of steel chain, a first aid kit that came with instructions on how to treat any plausible injury suffered during outdoor activities, a pocket knife, and some type of scroll. Frowning a bit, he opened the scroll, and found it to contain several different storage seals, almost all of which contained food. However, he noted one other seal, which apparently contained another scroll.

Deciding to just leave it alone and return it later, Naruto headed into the shadowy ruins.

As he entered the ancient stone hall, numerous questions plagued Naruto's mind. Who built this place, and why? What happened to them? Where are they now?

Soon, however, the answers to these questions slowly became apparent. Naruto noticed grooves in the walls, and after blowing away the dust, he realized that these were engravings.

The pictures upon the walls seemed to be telling a story of some sort, as Naruto attempted to figure out what was going on.

Suddenly, he heard the Voice, that malicious, gravelly speaker who appeared to reside within Naruto's own mind. The Voice said, **"TWELVE THOUSAND YEARS AGO, THIS LAND WAS RULED BY A CIVILIZATION A BIT MORE ADVANCED THAN YOURS. THIS CIVILIZATION WAS KNOWN AS MELNIBONÉ. ONE OF THEM FOUND A LIVING, DEMONIC SWORD. THIS MAN, USING ONLY THE POWER OF THE SWORD HE'D FOUND, BECAME SO POWERFUL THAT IT TOOK AN ARMY OF SEVEN HUNDRED DRAGON KNIGHTS ARMED WITH HOLY WEAPONS TO FINALLY DESTROY HIM. THE BLADE, HOWEVER, COULD NOT BE DESTROYED, AND IT RESIDES WITHIN THIS RUIN, AS DO THE SPIRITS OF THOSE WHO BROUGHT ITS REIGN OF TERROR TO AN END. ALL WHO VENTURE BEYOND THIS POINT MUST DIE, LEST THE CALAMITY COME ONCE MORE. THAT IS WHAT IT SAYS, INSECT."**

As usual, the Voice caused searing pain when Naruto heard it, and he'd nearly lost consciousness in his agony. Even so, he still realized that the Voice had told him the story of the ruins, and apparently that there was some kind of sword deeper inside. If Naruto could find and learn to use that sword's power for good, then he could eventually earn people's respect and possibly even become the next Hokage.

After continuing ever further into the crypt, Naruto found that the temperature had begun increasing exponentially. The cause of this, of course, became apparent the instant he entered the next chamber: the floor of the entire hall, which seemed to go on forever, was covered in bright red and orange magma.

Naruto considered asking the Voice for help, but decided against it: the Voice hated him as it was, only spoke when he felt like it, and _never_ gave Naruto any help, even to do something that the Voice had wanted. Unable to get assistance and unwilling to give up, Naruto looked around, trying to find something he could conceivably use to get across.

As he observed the area, he noted a plaque on the wall, which was strangely written in his own language. It said, _The path of the Black Sword is for naught but the Lion-hearted_.

"What the heck? Wait a minute; a really brave or courageous person is called a 'Lionheart,' so maybe I just need courage in order to proceed."

This plan was full of holes, and Naruto knew it. The odds of simply being brave in order to walk across molten rock, the temperature of which was surely in the thousands of degrees, were too small to bother with. If his gambit failed to pay off – which was rather likely to be the case – Naruto would be incinerated before he had the chance to save himself, let alone his foot.

Still, it wasn't like he had any better ideas, so Naruto willed himself to calm down and take the first step onto the semi-liquid matter…

And suddenly, it instantly cooled and solidified, until it was as concrete. A disembodied voice – not the Voice, but a different voice, which sounded much kinder and more reasonable – appeared to speak, though Naruto couldn't detect any sound at all:

You have come, Child of Destiny. Tell me, why do you seek the Black Sword?

Unsure of where he should direct his attention, Naruto simply kept walking forward, and replied, "I… don't really know. But if I can find this 'Black Sword' and use it to help people, and then maybe… people will treat me as their equal."

Interesting. I see in your heart that you don't crave dominion over others. I also see that, for one so young, you understand much of the world. You must suffer two more trials, and if you can endure that, then I will allow you to take the Black Sword… whose name, in your tongue, roughly translates to 'Black Death.' Tell me now, child, do you truly wish to wield the Sword of Death?

Naruto stopped in his tracks, and closed his eyes in deep thought for a few minutes. The usage of the phrase 'suffer two more trials' and 'endure' weren't very inviting, and he hadn't known it was the quote-unquote 'Sword of Death,' either. Still, he'd come this far, so he'd just as well go all the way. Opening his eyes, he answered, "Whatever you put me through, you won't break me. I will take this Sword of Death, and I will use it to defend, not to destroy."

The ethereal presence chuckled for a few seconds before it gave some final words to the young Jinchuriki.

I see that you won't be deterred. Very well then, you needed Courage to pass the first trial. The second will test your cunning and determination, while the last will determine your inner strength and fortitude. All of the trials are difficult, but none of them are impossible. You are not the first person to come for the Black Sword, young one. No one has ever survived the third trial with their mind intact.

With this warning, the boy was transported to another room, as a gigantic creature appeared in front of Naruto and attempted to crush him with a massive claw.

The young ninja-in-training backpedaled, barely able to evade the attack, and he briefly observed his foe. The creature was certainly over fifty feet tall, and vaguely resembled a hybrid between a bull and a wolf. With muscles as thick as a tree trunk, it looked ready to annihilate anything that so much as glimpsed it. **(1)**

'_OK, do I have ANY options? Even a glancing blow from that monstrosity would pulverize me! I don't know any kind of jutsu that could help, and I don't have a weapon to fight it with! Wait a minute – that spirit said that nothing is impossible!_

Realizing that there was probably something in the room he could use to his advantage, Naruto continued evading the Behemoth's attacks, glancing around the room whenever he had a spare moment.

Just a few seconds later, Naruto spied a small rapier exactly on the opposite side of the chamber. Deciding that a weapon he had no knowledge of how to use was better than no weapon at all, Naruto made a mad dash for the thin blade, but still doing everything in his power not to let the Behemoth hit him.

As soon as Naruto grasped the rapier, he turned around, and got into a stance. It wasn't expert by any stretch of the imagination, but it was decent for a swordsman with zero experience. The Behemoth seemed confused for a second, as its prey was suddenly about to fight back.

This one second of hesitation was all Naruto needed as he rushed at the Behemoth. There was clearly no way to reach the monster's face, so the blonde decided that his best – and only chance – was to attack the legs, and eventually make it bleed to death.

Naruto quickly weaved in, out, and around the Behemoth's massive limbs, slicing and slashing everything within reach. Purple blood began flowing from some of the cuts, and the young Jinchuriki briefly wondered if, in making this huge beast bleed out, he was dooming himself to drown.

'_Ah, well, it's not like I've got any other options…'_

The Behemoth growled in mild pain as Naruto repeatedly attacked its limbs, drawing more and more blood with each successive strike.

After about five minutes of an exhausting ritual of evading and slashing, the Behemoth finally began slowing down, until it began to collapse. The floor of the room was, by this time, so flooded with the monster's vital fluids that Naruto found himself knee-deep in purple blood.

As the enormous beast fell to its knees, Naruto climbed the creature's coarse mane, until he was standing atop the Behemoth's mountainous shoulder blades, which were at present the highest point above the blood.

From there, Naruto ran forward, towards the beast's head, and with a vicious battle cry, impaled its brain.

The beast, already severely weakened from blood loss, growled in a final agony as it finally perished.

Naruto panted for a few minutes, before he fell to his knees in exhaustion.

At that moment, however, the air around him seemed to shift, and the boy found himself seemingly back in the Village.

But nothing was as it should be. Buildings were burning, while screams of terror and pain filled the atmosphere.

The temperature must have risen at least fifty degrees, and Naruto observed that the earth beneath him was dry and parched, as though from a century of intense drought.

Forcing himself to look up, Naruto saw everyone close to him, lying in scattered pieces all around him. His teacher, his classmates, his future foster parents Hayate Gekko and Yugao Uzuki; everything he'd ever known and cherished was either burning, dismembered, or both. Then, looking even further up, he saw the moon in several fragments across the sky.

When had this happened? Who was responsible?

Naruto felt, for the first time in his life, completely and utterly helpless. Already running on fumes, Naruto still felt that he had no choice but to get to his feet and find out what had happened.

Just as he'd managed to get to his feet, however, he felt an excruciating heat across his back, like someone had slashed at him with a molten branding iron.

The force of the attack sent Naruto flying across the street, until he slammed into the crumbling wall of what once been the Hokage Tower. Through the pain, the exhaustion, and the partially-numb horror of what was happening, Naruto was barely able to try and pick himself up off the ground. What he saw, though, nearly gave him a heart attack.

Naruto demanded, "**Why**? Why did you do this?"

And from across the street, a fifteen-year-old man with spiky blonde hair hefted a massive zweihänder, the blade of which appeared to be so ancient that it had become _black_. In addition, near the center of the blade was a demonic yellow and slitted eye, with red diagonal triangles pointing inward upon a green sclera. But the most terrible aspect of the eye was the fact that it was _blinked_, and was watching him with an utterly malevolent gaze, which seemed to somehow caress the man who bore the blade.

There was a horrifying glint in the man's azure eyes as he responded, "Why did I do it? Why did I destroy all you've ever known? Is that what you're asking?"

The man roared with laughter as he faded into the background, before Naruto suddenly saw himself through the other's eyes.

Everything instantly became clear, and Naruto was free of pain and sadness, full of a glorious, sickly euphoric power as he said, "I did it simply because I could."

Then, there was a blinding flash of light as Naruto returned to normal, and found himself in the ruin where he'd slain the Behemoth. The creature itself, in addition to its copious amount of spilt blood, was gone. There were two pedestals before him – one with the massive zweihänder he'd seen his future-self wield in the vision, though the eye was closed, and the other held the rapier he'd fought the Behemoth with. The benevolent voice from before spoke again:

You have slain the Behemoth, and you have seen what could happen if you claim the Sword of Death. Notice I said "what _could_ happen", because if the Black Sword has even one redeeming quality, it's that those who wield it are no longer bound by the fetters of destiny, and have no fate but what they make.

Naruto, whose brain felt like it had gone through a garbage disposal, suddenly regained a bit of clarity as he asked, "So you mean… that even with the Black Sword, I can still be able to protect my Village rather than destroy it?"

If you choose to bear the Ebony Blade, then all things become possible. Even if you don't understand everything that happens around you, you will still be able to influence the outcome. It's your decision.

That one phrase echoed in Naruto's mind as he made his choice.

Hoping against hope that he wouldn't regret it, Naruto went to the pedestal on his right and clasped a hand around the handle of the weapon. He was barely able to stand at this point, but he willed himself to finish what he was doing. With the last of his strength, Naruto drew the Black Sword, and using willpower alone, cut through the binding chains of fate.

**(1) : Actually, think of a much larger version of Arch Azul from **_**Dirge of Cerberus – Final Fantasy VII –**_** . **


End file.
